What is Liquid Biopsy?

Liquid Biopsy is a test done on the sample of Blood to look for Cancer Cells from a Tumor that are circulating in the blood. A Liquid Biopsy is also known as ‘Fluid Biopsy’ or ‘Fluid Phase Biopsy’. The Traditional Biopsy has been used for the detection of Cancer, likewise, in Liquid Biopsy the blood is used to diagnose the cancer cell, with the benefit of being largely non-invasive. It is helpful in detecting the cancer cell at an early stage. It can be used to plan the treatment or to check out how well the treatment is working.

The ‘Liquid Biopsy’ is done by using a sample of blood, which can tell scientists about Cancer DNA in the blood. There are several other diagnostic tests exist, like Guardant360 Blood Test, which can analyze more than 70 genes across a wide variety of solid tumor.

A liquid biopsy test can detect the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) gene mutations, which occur in 10-30 percent of patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). According to the early research on liquid biopsy has been in Lung, Breast and Prostate Cancers but this technology is expected to have an impact on all types of cancer.

Liquid Biopsy could do wonders in Cancer Testing. This could make a significant difference in the way of understanding and treating cancer.

Future of Liquid Biopsy

More research in Liquid Biopsy could have the potential to revolutionize cancer care. However, there are many challenges and more improvement is needed in this field so as to make it work as a tissue biopsy. Liquid Biopsy can replace Tissue Biopsy in near future and might be very beneficial in cancer treatment. The mutation found in the sequenced cell-free DNA comes completely from cancerous cells.

It is quite early to make a conclusion about the success and benefits of Liquid Biopsy. As per the experts, it would be difficult for liquid biopsy or having less possibility that Liquid Biopsy could replace the Tissue biopsy in the foreseeable future. However, Liquid Biopsy could complement Tissue Biopsy and allowing more patient to be tested and reading out the progress of treatment very easily. More real world studies, comparison, and experiments are needed to be fully explored and to the potential of plasma based testing.

The detection of mutation through liquid biopsy is not just derived from Cancer, but could also be beginning of mutation from the White Blood Cells. The liquid biopsy technology should be used with proper precaution, if not then, the result could be wrong and might be harmful to the patient.

A meaningful Liquid Biopsy of the future will need to find a cancer sign in someone with no sign and to determine the exact place where cancer may be in the body. Some researchers even said that the liquid biopsy may be capable of detecting when the cancer cell returns long before a tumor re-appears.

Why Liquid Biopsy is better than Tissue Biopsy?

Liquid Biopsy utilizes genetic sequencing for many purposes in Oncology. It is good in identifying uniquely and early detection. Areas where Liquid Biopsy excels is when a tumor has metastasized, i.e. it spreads at the multiple sites in the body.

While Tissue Biopsy is irreplaceable in identifying the nature of tumors. However, it is affected by several components of origin, such as tumor location, amount of tissue available, and accessibility to remove with surgery.

The researchers said that neither Liquid Biopsy nor Tissue Biopsy individually is capable of sampling an entire tumor and revealing entire details of all present mutation. Tissue Biopsies are only useful when an unknown tumor’s exact location is confirmed and extraction is possible through surgery. Whereas, Liquid Biopsy is best used in screening and identifying mutations in metastatic cancer, and tracking changes in mutation for treatment.

Advantages of Liquid Biopsy

1. Less costly than Tumor Biopsy and Analysis.

2. Provides an accurate image of the genomic landscape of the tumor.

3. It possible to do during the treatment phase, to learn about the effect of the medication.

4. DNA Cross Linking does not occur with liquid biopsy, thereby facilitating tumor DNA sequencing.

5. It requires less labor.

6. It is minimally invasive.

7. Its analysis is quick.